Crews battle 6,400-acre Elephant fire in Sierra County as blaze forces evacuations

Darrell Smith, The Sacramento Bee on Jul 13, 2026

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Firefighters battling the Elephant fire in Sierra and Plumas counties faced difficult terrain and shifting winds as crews worked to slow a blaze that had burned more than 6,400 acres and was 5% contained.

The fire burning north of Loyalton and Highway 49 since Saturday has forced evacuations and evacuation warnings in Lassen and Plumas counties, according to the U.S. Forest Service and Cal Fire. Zone LAS-451-A, in Lassen County, is under an evacuation order to immediately leave homes and property.

Lassen County zone LAS-671-B; and Plumas County zones PLU-104-A; and PLU-144, are under an evacuation warning of potential threats to life and property. Those who need additional time to evacuate or have to evacuate pets and livestock are being told to leave now.

Crews and bulldozers carved fire lines to slow the Elephant fire’s spread and protect nearby communities while aircraft made targeted retardant drops, Cal Fire officials said.

The fire grew from 2,500 acres to more than 6,400 acres during the nearly 24 hours between 6 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday. The cause remained under investigation.

The fire was first reported about 1:30 p.m. Saturday, roughly 2 miles northeast of Loyalton in the Tahoe National Forest, U.S. Forest Service officials said.

Firefighters were forced to suspend their air attack on the flames Sunday after a low-flying drone was spotted flying in the vicinity of the fire, said Sierra County Sheriff’s Office, in a statement. A resident reported seeing the unmanned aircraft Sunday afternoon in an area where firefighting aircraft were operating.

Deputies received information from several residents and tracked down the drone operator, the Sheriff’s Office said. Some firefighting aircraft were forced to land until officials determined the airspace was safe.

A preliminary investigation found the drone was flown in a manner that interfered with firefighting operations and entered airspace restricted to firefighting aircraft, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office continued to investigate and planned to send its findings to the Sierra County District Attorney’s Office for consideration of potential criminal charges.

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